Everybody Cries
by Atheyla
Summary: When House recieves a letter he never expected, Cameron tries to help him through the rough time that follows. HouseCam. Complete!
1. The Letter

Hello everyone, and welcome to my first fanfic! Please be nice whimpers Anyways, regarding the word "caned"... not mine. I don't know who originally thought of it, but it is genius in using it for House.

Don't own House, etc. But I will soon, once my penguin army is ready... Muahahahaha...

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Heart pounding in her ears, Dr. Cameron stared down at the letter she had just received. Well, not really _her,_ but she had received it to give to someone else. Dr. House. Who else?

As usual, she was sitting in her office, sorting and reading (he obviously wasn't going to anyway) through his mail, separating the "interesting" ones from those that would not appeal in the slightest to the misanthropic doctor. She sighed. While this letter was certainly interesting, the immunologist had a feeling it wouldn't appeal to House. Weary from the long night the team had gone through yesterday with a puzzling patient (it turned out they had confused an MRI with another patient's, and a hidden tumor had been the problem), she could hardly stand on her feet. Quickly moving to the coffee machine, she poured two cups of French roast, sat down at the table, and waited.

Not long after, she could hear the rhythmic tap of a cane on the hall floor. She glanced up through the glass window as Dr. House caned by, wishing she didn't have to give this letter to him. Heart heavy, she stood up again as the door opened and House walked through, and offered himthe now cool second cup of coffee. He raised his eyebrows.

"Dr. Cameron, how nice of you to cater to your boss. Looking for a raise?" He winked at her and took a long sip from the red cup. He didn't say thank you. She didn't expect him to.

"Dr. House..." She faltered. "A... letter came for you today."

Moving to the coffee counter, House picked up a sugar packet. "And they never do otherwise? Funny, I thought that was the mindless job I have you doing every day. By the way, I thought you were made of sugar and the like. Why is it that you don't put it in your coffee?"

Cameron started and looked down at the coffee she had been steadily sipping for the past ten minutes. That _was_ odd, she usually did put sugar in her coffee. Several packets, in fact. Setting down the cup, she picked up the letter and held it out to her boss. "_This_ letter... You probably want to read it." She bit her lip and looked at the floor as House took the letter while staring at her curiously. Unfolding it, he scanned it quickly. Cameron waited for something to happen. For some kind of emotion to pass across House's face. For anything, other than this numb kind of waiting.

House blinked, turned around, walked into his office, and closed the door.

Cameron sighed as Chase and Foreman walked in. They stared after House, who was now sitting in his chair, his back to the door, re-reading the letter.

"Care to explain?" Foreman asked as he set his coat on the back of his chair and sat down.

Cameron kept her eyes on her clasped hands. "It's... not really for me to say. But I don't think he'll be coming out for a while."

Chase snorted. "Fine. I'm getting something for breakfast then. Want anything?" he asked as he headed back out the door he had just come through, still in his coat. Foreman and Cameron shook their heads. Chase shrugged and looked forward to his first real breakfast in a long time, not justa quick cappuccino at a drive-through like he usually did. Foreman glanced at Cameron, still looking at her hands. She just shook her head and looked over to House in the other room, who was still reading the letter, his hands slightly shaking.


	2. Ducklings, Cuddy, and Departure

Thanks so incredibly much for allthe reviews! I didn't expect to have any the first day. I'm so glad youlike it. :D

Okay, something I've learned from last time: Asterisks don't liketo work for me. So I'll use hypens instead for mystrange andmaniacal actions.-Runs around room with hyphens on head- Fwee!HYPHENS!

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Several hours later, Cameron smiled at the little girl she had just finished examining. "Okay, everything's all set." She jotted something down on a pad of paper, ripped it off and handed it to the mother. "Just have her take one every morning and night, and it'll clear up in about a week." Gathering up her things, Cameron held the door open for the two and followed them out to the lobby. Striding over to the desk, she quickly recorded the time on the waiting clipboard. Brenda glanced up at the sound of scratching pencil.

"Already leaving, Dr. Cameron?"

Cameron nodded as she set down the pencil and turned to leave. "Yeah, clinic duty goes by quick. Maybe I'll put in more hours. House sure wouldn't object." She grinned. Brenda flashed back her own smile.

"He would even have you doing his, if Cuddy weren't around."

"That I don't doubt. But she is, so he'll have to suffer." She laughed."See you around, Brenda."

"See ya."

Cameron glanced at the elevators, saw they were drowned in lines of waiting people, and took the stairs. She was back at her desk in minutes, where she found Foreman and Chase idly flipping through various medical magazines. She looked over at House's office. It was empty.

"Where's House?"

Foreman didn't even look up. "He left."

Cameron rolled her eyes. _Obviously._ "So where'd he go?"

"Didn't say."

Chase tossed his magazine aside and picked up another from the stack in front of him. "I think he was going to see Cuddy."

"What makes you say that?" Cameron asked quizzically, sitting down in the nearest chair. Chase turned the page.

"Because he had a face that clearly read, 'I would rather be in a small room with a sugar-high cheerleader than doing this.'"

Cameron grinned, scanning the magazines. None seemed very interesting. "Where'd you get these?" She gestured to the pile.

"Bathroom." The two said in unison. Cameron wrinkled her nose.

"Why do they have magazines in the men's bathroom?"

Foreman finally glanced up at her. "Do you really want to know?"

"Probably not." She sighed in boredom. "So... we've done all our clinic hours, and no new cases." Pausing, she cast around for an idea. "Board game?"

Chase grinned. "How about Operation?" Cameron and Foreman looked at each other. Then all three burst from their seats, heading for the psychiatrists' offices, magazines forgotten.

-----

Cuddy looked up as House burst into her office, then returned to her paperwork. Nothing new here.

"I need to take today and tomorrow off."

Cuddy glanced back up. Something in House's voice seemed weird. "Why? So you won't be held responsible when a patient dies?"

House fidgeted, obviously not wanting to say anything. It was then she noticed the letter clutched in his hand. Lifting her eyes to meet his, she was surprised to see his eyes already on hers. The sky blue orbs were pleading with her. _Don't ask questions. Just let me go._

Suddenly the sun, which had been hiding behind grey clouds all morning, burst out in a flash of defiance, concentrating solely on shining through Cuddy's window and onto House's figure. He squinted from the sudden light, but not before Cuddy could see his eyes were slightly red and puffy. Then the sun was overtaken by the clouds once again, leaving Cuddy to very confused thoughts. _House? Crying?_ She shook her head slightly to get back in control. Putting pen to paperwork once again, she threw out, "Three hours of clinic duty the moment you get back, case or no case." There was a slight pause.

"Done."

By the time Cuddy looked up again, the door had closed, and no trace was left that House had ever been there other than one very troubled mind.

-----

Back at his office, House grabbed his coat and wallet, shut off his computer, and turned to leave. He stopped short and nearly groaned. "Now's not the time, Cameron."

She stood there in her light brown coat that reached down to her knees, seemingly waiting for him at the door he had just previously entered. How did he not notice her sitting there when he came in?

She gazed at him a moment with the ocean blue eyes. Then she said simply, "I knew her too." After a moment, House nodded, and the two left the hospital together.


	3. Car Talk

Thanks SO MUCH for all the reviews! You guys ROCK! Sorry for the wait, but my muse had disappeared. I think the penguins stole him. Or maybe he just ran away when I found out how many tests I had to study for. Anyways, he came back, and here is the next chapter:DThanks to all again! I promise all (well, most) questions will be answered in the next chapter.

Disclamier: Neither House or the song used in this fic is mine. -whispers off to the side- Penguins, we march at dawn. Soon, House will be OURS! MUAHAHAHA! -seesproducers in front of her-Whoopsies. -Runs away. FAR away.-

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The sun was setting straight ahead of the Corvette, a shimmering orb of fiery orange, red, and yellow. Cameron watched it disappear behind a wall of pine trees as House made a sharp turn, causing her to grip the sides of her seat and gasp slightly. She had never liked this car, but it _was_ better than taking the motorcycle. She glanced over at House. He was staring at the road, never moving his eyes if possible, as he had been since they pulled out of PPTH's parking lot several hours ago. The entire time there had been nothing but silence in the car, other than strains of music coming out of the radio. Right now a song by The Who was playing, called "I've Had Enough".Cameron had always loved this song.

_You were under the impression  
That when you were walking forward  
You'd end up further onward  
But things ain't quite that simple. _

House glanced over at her. "So why did you come?"

Cameron jumped a little at the first words spoken in hours, but then returned to looking out her window. "I already told you."

He sneered. "You_ '_knew her too.' Barely." Cameron resisted a smile. There was the old House.

"Maybe more than you know."

The Corvette swerved suddenly to the right. House cursed and yanked the wheel back to the left until the car was back on the right side of the road. "Damn squirrel." he mumbled as Cameron drew a shuddery breath. He cast a look of annoyance over at her, as if the whole thing had been her fault. "How would you have known her before?"

Calming her frenzied heart, Cameron released her grip on the seat.

_You got altered information  
You were told to not take chances  
You missed out on new dances  
Now you're losing all your dimples. _

"Last year," she said quietly, "I met her at a fair. We collided in front of the Ferris wheel, dropped everything we were carrying, and introduced ourselves. It was a freak meeting." She brushed back strands ofauburn hair that had escaped the confines of her elastic. "Her husband was with a friend, so we decided to have lunch together." She glanced over at her boss, but his gaze was set resolutely on the road. But he was still listening. "When she came to the hospital, I recognized her, but I couldn't remember from where. When she left, that was when I remembered. Of course."

_My jacket's gonna be cut and slim and checked, __Maybe a touch of seersucker, with an open neck.  
I ride a G.S. scooter with my hair cut neat,  
Wear my wartime coat in the wind and sleet. _

"Of course." House echoed, his voice hollow. He rounded a curve, softly this time. Cameron turned from her window to gaze out the front one, just in time to see the last of the sun fall behind the earth.

_I've had enough of living  
I've had enough of dying  
I've had enough of smiling  
I've had enough of crying_

"Still, just because you read of her death, didn't mean you had to come."

She blew out an irritated breath."Then read your own damn mail, House."

He looked over at her. She was annoyed. Her arms were clenched over her stomach, like he'd seen her do so many times before. Chuckling, House turned back to the road in time to see a sign off to the side, thinking howmuch fun it was to annoy Cameron, especially since it took so much effort to do it.

_I've taken all the high roads  
I've squandered and I've saved  
I've had enough of childhood  
I've had enough of graves..._

The Corvette pulled off the main road onto a hidden dirt lane. House accelerated,leaving the sign swinging wildly in the dust, words unable to be seen by the driver behind them. But the two doctors had seen them.

**Callahan Funeral Home.**


	4. The Funeral

First of all, I apologize for the long delay.The penguins stole my internet.-shifty eyes- Anyways, I hope this chapter will help you forgive the penguins.They insisted on putting in who died, so I think you'll likethat. :D

MAJOR thanks to all my reviewers- youall are so awesome! And I know who you are, Emily. Yes, the penguins told me all about you. Muahahaha.

After this, I believe there will be one more chapter. In the final chapter, I promise you will find out what the letter says. Until then, Au revoir!

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House hated the sun. Hated it with a passion. He much preferred the steady patter of rain, or the crash of booming thunder that could drown out even Cuddy's yelling. Heat lightning would be preferable to this annoyingly bright and cheery sunshine. He smiled to himself over the irony. Heat lightning. That would be that last type of weather to happen today, because although the sun was out, a bitter, freezing wind whipped through the cemetery, flinging dirt into everyone's eyes. House was glad he had stopped by his home before driving here, picking up two heavy black coats, since he hadn't had one at the hospital, and Cameron's light brown one was neither warm nor funeral-type clothing. Glancing over at her standing next to him, House couldn't resist looking her up and down. Although a bit big, he thought she looked good in his coat. Seemingly aware of House looking at her, Cameron turned to him and smiled slightly. She seemed about to open her mouth, but was distracted bya man moving away from the group of people standing around the open coffin. This man House knew quite well.

The man stood in front of the small crowd, hands behind his back. Opening his mouth to speak, he choked as a sudden gust of wind blasted by. Clearing his throat of sandto start again, he solemnly gazed toward them, and gruffly spoke.

"I'm afraid that I'm not very good at this sort of thing, so I'll be short. I thank all of you for coming today to say farewell to my wife. We all knew how much she touched each person she met, even if it was for a little while. She held together, not only her life, but all those lives she loved and cared for. I hope each of us can be happy in the knowledge that she led a joyful life, as she is happy in watching over us in death, much as she did while living." There were murmurs and soft clapping as the man nodded his head and stepped aside. The group shuffled forward to pay their respects. House started to move with them, but was stopped. He looked down to see Cameron in his path, staring him straight in the eye.

She spoke firmly. "Go talk to him."

House couldn't take his eyes off those ocean blues. He could imagine himself swimming in that ocean, playing in them, splashing, wading, relaxing. Her ocean eyes, his sky blue ones. The ocean and sky meeting at the horizon that never ended, as the ocean and the sky never seemed to end. Her next softly spoken words quieted the roaring of the waves in his ears, and he returned to reality, berating himself for letting his imagination fly so freely.

"Please." Cameron asked quietly. "She would want you to."

House stabbed the hard ground with his cane. Sighing, he answered, "Fine. But," he added, "You have to give me two hours of clinic duty the day after tomorrow."

Cameron looked confused. Then realization dawned. "Cuddy." House shrugged.

"I figured if she would let me have off one day, I could get another."

Cameron nodded, a small smile on her lips. She joined the line of people in front of the coffin as House stopped jabbing the ground long enough to look over at the man, now standing off to one side. House stood, irresolute, then limped over. The man looked up and straightened as he came near. He nodded his hello. "Greg."

"Hey."

The two stood alone together, just looking at each other for long moments. The man turned his gaze to the coffin. "I see you got my letter."

Uncomfortable, House followed his lead. "Yep." There was a pause. Then, quietly. "Thanks."

"It needed to be said."

More silence.

House fidgeted. "I guess this is goodbye then." The man sighed.

"I suppose it is." After another minute, the man turned and walked away. Neither of them expected to see the other ever again. And that was okay.

House glanced over at Cameron, who was now kneeling next to the coffin. Even from a distance, he could see two tears, one after the other, slide down her cheeks. He snorted. Cameron could attend the funeral of a stranger and still cry for them. He watched as she whispered words to the dead, then stand up and move away. Looking around, she spied the solitary House, and a distance away, the man who had spoken about his wife. She walked over to House, paused at his side, and murmured "I'll meet you in the car." He nodded, and she continued on.

By now, everyone had left. Only House remained near the coffin now. He caned over, and stood beside it for a long time, gazing down at the still face. Twilight was rapidly setting. He stroked the cold hand, whispered two words, then left to join Cameron in the warm car.

Those two winds lingered over the coffin until the next strong gust of wind scattered them into the now purple sky.

_"Goodbye, Mom."_


	5. Sorry

I'm incredibly sorry for making you all wait so long! My muse was avoiding me. But I caught him, and you are now presented with (trumpet fanfare) the final chapter! I nearly ended it with the fourth chapter, but so many people wanted to know about the letter in the beginning, so I decided to put that in.

Thanks to every single one of my reviewers. I just can't thank you all enough! So thanks to **Becca4521**,**Graveofthefireflies, Dr Ingram, theshowpopper, bmax, IheartTheWho, brynnamorgan, bemorechill,Proops, septemberrebellion, rachbigbro, jenloveshouse, hplver, SilverMoonShining, orangeangel, Ellie 5192, AineMorrigan, Housestalker, JadePixieDust, Marauder3Moony, gh2005, A-E-W, house obsessed, Belmont-Bellamy, SimpleNClean92, Insert Witty Name Here, VicodinIsMyAnti-Drug, colonelheather, **and alsomy anonymous reviewers, **Heather**, **Christina**, **Dani**, **memamo**,**isheebishee**, **too lazy to sign in**, **Ariadne**, and **Emily**. You all rock!

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read my fanfic!

* * *

Two days. Two days since the funeral. Two days since the letter. House threw his red andgrey ball against the glass wall, causing Chase to jump and cast House an annoyed glance. Catching the ball, House grinned and threw it again. Shaking his head, Chase gathered up his papers and left. It was just past eight in the morning, and everyone was still home, except House, Chase, and the night crew stragglers, who didn't seem to want to stop working. Plus Cuddy. Did she even go home? Shrugging, House placed the ball back on his desk. Maybe he could beat Metroid Fusion before work hours actually started. Pulling open his drawer, he became absorbed in looking for his Gameboy. Taking out a rotten banana, he grimaced and tossed it in the basket. He needed to clean out his desk. Or have Cameron do it.

He couldn't find it. Swearing, he emptied the entire drawer onto his carpet and searched through the lot. It wasn't there. Double-checking through the pile of papers with his cane, House came across a letter he had nearly forgotten about. Frowning, he picked it up. It was one side of a paper long, and hastily written in small, cramped writing. House leaned back in his chair. He remembered this letter now.

The sound of heels clacking on tiled floor made House start. Hurling curses at the general vicinity, he tossed the letter on his desk and scrambled to stuff the mess on his floor back in the drawer. Cuddy would have his head if he left his office that messy. In fact, he had heard from the nurses that she had once fired a guy when she had walked into his office only to promptly trip over several stacks of papers sitting in front of the door. At least, that was the rumor. Glancing up as the heels came nearer, House's worst fears were confirmed. Cuddy was striding down the hallway, straight for his office. Quickly shoving the papers deep in the drawer, he slammed it shut and looked wildly around to make it look like he was doing something, and not a potential target for clinic duty. Just as Cuddy paused before opening the door to wipe something off her blouse, House finally spied his Gameboy hiding behind the computer screen. He turned it on just as Cuddy opened the door. She seemed amused by his slightly flushed face.

"I heard about what happened." The dean of medicinespoke quietly. House glanced up from the start screen.

"What, Cameron couldn't keep her mouth shut?" He turned his attention back to the game. Cuddy tossed a thin folder onto his desk.

"No. The obits couldn't." She left without the argument about Cameron doing his clinic duty House had been expecting, leaving him to wonder if possibly hell had frozen over. Regrettably setting aside his Gameboy, contemplating whether or not the world would get colder without the fires of hell to warm their feet, House opened the folder. It was a cut-out from a newspaper, with his mother's picture on it. Smiling slightly, he picked up the letter from the corner of his desk and placed it in the folder also. Before closing it, House read again the short letter that he had never, in his wildest nightmares, expected.

_Dear Greg,_

_I'm sorry to be the_ _bearer of bad news, but I very much regret to tell you that your mother has died. Don't feel guilty, as I'm sure you must be right now, being a doctor. She died in her sleep, next to me last night. Her heart was just too old. You wouldn't have been able to save her. She asked to be buried with her family, and so she will be at Callahan Funeral Home, tomorrow. I am assured this letter will reach you before then, as I sent it to the hospital, and not your home. I hope you will come, for her. For your mother._

_Sincerely,_

_Your Father_

_P.S. _(And here the writing was shaky and bold, as though it had been written slowly)

_I'm Sorry. For everything. _

House leaned back with the letter in his hand, thinking of how nearly her entire life, his mother had tried to get the two men to accept each other, and it had taken her death to do just that. Guilt swept over him in a wave, bringing unwanted tears to his eyes. Instead of brushing them away like he would do under any other circumstance, House merely turned his chair to face the windows showing the city. He let one tear, filled to the brim with a myriad of feelings, fall from his eye and land on the letter. Frowning, House blinked away the rest of the tears and looked long at the words on the bottom of the letter his tear had fallen on.

_I'm Sorry._

Smiling slightly, House swivelled back to his desk and placed the letter in the folder Cuddy had given him, and put that in a separate, more organized drawer. Closing it, House sighed and turned back to face the rising sun.


End file.
